Hello guys , im new to the forum
im about to get new flamenco guitar and im so confusing or i cannot choice between them , i have been saving money for along time as im student so its was a bit hard for me , this the first time im getting a good well-made guitar i always learn on a cheap guitars hard to play , much pressure to put on strings but yes that quite made my hand stronger and its time to get a well-made one and i almost will use it in recording .

alright , so now im searching a used guitar .

I found Alhambra 5F and 7fc , and cordoba f10 all of them quite good and very clean they are almost new guitars .

-I heard the alhambra 5f the sound was quite great sound and i really liked it but the thing is laminated back and side sycamore so im saying i would go for 4f its quite the same wood .

-Alhambra 7fc i really like it but the one i found i think its old model and i didnt like the sound of it but the seller says the strings very old so yea , i really like that guitar as its a full solid body thats what im looking for , but the sound didn't touch me i don't know . i see online most 7fc quite good .

-Cordoba F10 also full solid but i didn't tried it before , only the f7 i did tried which i didn't like , but i search online and heard the cordoba f10 i didn't feel it also but the guitar still in my list since its full body so there might people tried them and they have experience with them so i might didnt hear it quite clear .

- P. Saez 24 negra , i see online also i really like the sound of it , but one person told me that its a great guitar but the thing is the the neck fretboard can be bend during the time :l

So yeah i searched online alot and sometime i found full solid sounds nice and sometimes i found the laminated sycamore sound better so its all about how the record it i cant trust the sound online .

is it possible that the laminated back and side guitar which well-built sometimes be better than a solid full guitar

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i will be putting some photos of the alhambra guitars i found u might guys know which year the been made by looking at the photo .

So , i would love to hear from you guys to show me the right path and to have the best choice .

sorry for making it long .

Here is the used alhambra 7fc

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Whether you go for solid back and sides or the laminate back and sides might depend upon where you live. If you live in a dry and hot climate, you might want to see about the laminate back and sides. Same holds true if you have cold dry winters. They are less prone to developing cracks. As far as Córdoba goes, I've had three of their guitars develop cracks in the tops and finger boards . The wood wasn't properly seasoned when they built them, and on two I had to have the fret ends filed because they were sharp and stuck out, possibly the result of drying out and fingerboard shrinkage. And of course when they crack, they don't want to fix them. Needless to say, I am done with Córdoba.

I have had some experience with Alhambra, and am looking to get one of their Flamenco models. The one I am looking at has laminated back and sides, which is okay for me, as the guitar will go on the occasional camping trip. I am looking at the 3F. But if you can get the one in the photograph used,and at a reasonable price, that might be the way to go. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against solid wood guitars. Two of my three Ramirez are solid. They just require more care. In fact, temperature and humidity is a concern for any of them, after all the tops are still solid. How much are they asking for the 7fc?. I like the ebony reinforcement strip on the neck.

Thank you for you replay
yes you are right it requires more care , but both need cares who would pay money for guitars and not take care of it .
its price : 840 $ with a hardcase , the new one is 1500$ , its expensive here in turkey
yes i liked it too the reinforcementn strip , but the new models of 7fc hasn't got that so that what confusing me , also the rosette that in the photo above i couldnt find it in the internet and which year this guitar been made . im just confusing about these stuff .

Wow, I think if it was me, I would pony up the $840 and get the used 7fc. The price seems reasonable. And, you would get the ebony reinforced neck. They probably don't put the ebony reinforcement in anymore because it costs for time and money to do so. Ramirez used to do this on their guitars, but quit doing it as well.

If I could get one for $840, here in the US, I would do it in a heartbeat. That is the same price that a Córdoba C9 runs in the states new. So you would be getting an incredible value for an even better guitar.

Have you thought about what strings you would like to use on it? What strings do you have available where you live? The last Flamenco I had was a Manuel Rodriguez and I used LaBella 2001 Flamenco strings. They had black nylon trebles And lasted a really long time.

Looking at the Alhambra website it shows the new 5f and 7fc has a reinforced neck but they are hiding the reinforcing strip inside the neck. It's there just not visible like on the older ones. It is not listed as a feature on the 3f. For the one with the old strings, it's a simple matter to put on new strings. Have the seller do that or offer to do it yourself and test it again after they settle in a bit, if that is possible. Good luck.

Oh thats quite encouraged me to go for the 7fc , but as i said im quite afarid of its old model im not sure what time this been produced but probably before 2012 and the person took it before 3 years and he couldnt learn flamenco so thats why he is selling it ,
i didnt see the guitar yet and havnt tried it yet , but he sent me a video the sound was mess but it could be a big sure from the old strings ?? because u can see in the photo i uploaded above how old are the strings ? ? is that can be changing the guitar sound in a huge way ?

i live in turkey , istanbul , and actually not sure about the brand string yet but probably will be medium tension , also if there is other suggestion from you i would love to hear

I have an Alhambra guitar. The year of production on my guitar is not listed on the label. But there is a model number and serial number that may help with the dating. I cannot help you much with the pricing, I just don't know enough of the values of these guitars, particularly in your country.

If you have a melamine saddle, I wouldn't worry about it. Ramirez even uses these. You can always replace a saddle. The nut is not as important, but could be replaced as well. If it was me I would just leave it be. However, those strings have got to go. They look really brown in the pictures. I would imagine that they sound terrible. Have the seller restring it and then make up your mind. It sounds like a good deal.

yes also im thinking to leave it as its ,
yes i asked him and he will restring them soon and i will check the guitar.
also i emailed the alhambra info , they told me the guitar was made at 2011 and he took it at 2013 and not use it much so sound a good thing for such a solid wood .

also about the action for this model alhambra told me that its 3mm at 6th fret and 2m at 1st fret , its kind a high action i guess . the new model is lower than this .
is it possible to low the action as possible for that model without affecting the sound or getting unneeded buzz ? ?

yes also im thinking to leave it as its ,
yes i asked him and he will restring them soon and i will check the guitar.
also i emailed the alhambra info , they told me the guitar was made at 2011 and he took it at 2013 and not use it much so sound a good thing for such a solid wood .

also about the action for this model alhambra told me that its 3mm at 6th fret and 2m at 1st fret , its kind a high action i guess . the new model is lower than this .
is it possible to low the action as possible for that model without affecting the sound or getting unneeded buzz ? ?

Yes, you will have to take it to a luthier and have him/her do a "set up". The luthier will adjust the nut and saddle as part of the process. You will need to decide on what brand/gauge of strings you want to use, as changing afterwards can negate the effect of a perfect set up.
If it were me, I would start with medium tension strings. you should still have some saddle height to work with if you decide on hard tension later. Also, you should find out if it is a hard or medium set that will be on it and check the neck relief before you buy it. If it already has medium tension strings on it, and the neck is curved like a banana pass on it. You can PM me if you need further information.
Scott

i just got the guitar and return it because i notice after one day the top of spruc behind the bridge was a bit hight around half cm , i put a roller it didnt sit stright was high in the middle ,and the back also the same thing it was high in the center of it the same thing i put roller and hight half cm .
but the sound was great no any issues with it the neck was straight also , only this problem

is that normal ? is that a normal high or it should be straight at every where of the wood ? is that a swollen ? because of humidity ? maybe he didnt even use a humidifers but he always keep it in a good condition and in its case

i will put photos also to understand if this normal or not

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also is this normal its from the own wood not something to touch or broken thing

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